New Mazzer Mini won't grind fine enough

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
fasteddie203
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Joined: 11 years ago

#1: Post by fasteddie203 »

Hi,

I just got a brand new Mazzer Mini-e Type A and I can't seem to grind fine enough.

I know the #s are unique to each unit but here's the issues I'm having with my relative #s.

#3 is my zero point - the burrs just barely touch

Between 3 and 5 1/2 - no grounds come out.

#5 1/2 - I finally get coffee grounds coming out of the unit but it's not fine enough.

Any ideas? I've cleaned the chute/burrs and don't see any obstructions.

Thanks!
Mike

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HB
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#2: Post by HB »

The "start here" sticker from the factory should be very close to correct:



Double-check that the sticker and zero point are about 1/4 turn apart:
  • Empty the hopper, grind out any coffee in the chamber
  • Remove the small restriction screw on the face of the adjustment collar
  • Turn the adjustment counter-clockwise until it won't turn further (turn it hard, it won't break)
  • Don't power on the motor (but if you do for 1/2 second, it should hum ominously).
It should not matter, but as a point of reference, there's a small screw on the face of the adjustment collar that prevents it from turning beyond a reasonable grind setting; it runs in the dark groove shown in the photo below. To remove the collar, you must first remove that screw. I mention this for those who may have removed the adjustment collar, threaded it back on, failed to turn it enough times, then put back the adjustment restriction screw. As a result, the screw prevents the burrs from getting close enough for grinding and may give the operator the false impression that they've hit the zero point when they're actually hitting the end of the adjustment restriction.

Reference: How to find the grinder true zero point and Mazzer reassembly problem after burr replacement.

Dan Kehn

Detour101
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#3: Post by Detour101 »

I have encountered similar situation, i would suggest you turn the adjustment collar to the very coarse side run few seconds, then turn it back to the fineness you want, it should work well.

Nate42
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#4: Post by Nate42 »

Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious, but be sure you have the grinder running when you move it to a finer setting. Otherwise beans will get jammed up in the burrs and nothing will come out.

My wife has had this problem with my mazzer on a number of occasions. No matter how many times I explain it to her I still get the occasional phone call complaining that the grinder is "broken". :roll:

fasteddie203 (original poster)
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#5: Post by fasteddie203 (original poster) »

Thanks for all the help!

My start here is 1/4 turn of the entire collar from my zero point.

I'm only adjusting the grinder while it's running. I've cleaned the chute and there's no debris stuck inside.

My rocky could easily choke my espresso maker - the mazzer doesn't get fine enough to do that - it just stops producing grinds - the beans stay in the middle of the burrs.

Right now the best I can do is about 10 second shot - the espresso comes splashing out :(

Should I take it apart - maybe the burrs got misaligned during shipping?

pacificmanitou
Posts: 1302
Joined: 12 years ago

#6: Post by pacificmanitou »

How new is it? If its straight from the factory, call the place you bought it and ask them to fix/replace it. It shouldnt cost you anything if its new.
LMWDP #366

Nate42
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#7: Post by Nate42 »

Yeah, send it back. Doesn't seem like you're doing anything wrong, and you shouldn't need to screw with a brand new grinder. I don't think resetting the zero would help given that beans stop coming out before you even get there. Its possible the burrs got clogged up with some beans, but that should be cured by starting way coarse then working your way finer while its running. Sounds like you already tried that.

You're not using particularly large or oily beans by chance are you? I had some giant nicaraguan beans once that were so big they got stuck and wouldn't grind properly.

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HB
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#8: Post by HB »

fasteddie203 wrote:...the mazzer doesn't get fine enough to do that - it just stops producing grinds - the beans stay in the middle of the burrs.
Did you remove the adjustment collar? If you didn't and it failed to work out of the box, I have no explanation. The only time I've seen this happen was with a Macap where the burrs were coated with coffee "tar". Cleaning the burrs resolved the problem. I doubt that's the case, however it's worth trying. For what it's worth, I've never heard of an out-of-the-box defective Mazzer.
pacificmanitou wrote:If its straight from the factory, call the place you bought it and ask them to fix/replace it.
Or set up a video chat to walk through the problem live. The good vendors are used to dealing with odd problems.
Dan Kehn

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Terranova
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#9: Post by Terranova »

Run some lb.'s crap beans through it, or some rice.
It might be the case that your burrs need an "extremer" seasoning in.

bobmccarthy
Posts: 163
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#10: Post by bobmccarthy »

If you use rice, use "minute" rice It is precooked and then dried. Raw rice is very hard on the burrs.

It works great in a pinch.

bob

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